Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region
Tags: biology, vegetation, nutrient levels, muskox, impact analysis, biochemistry
| Principal Investigator: | Smith, David L. (1) |
| Licence Number: | 12430 |
| Organization: | University of Saskatchewan |
| Licensed Year(s): |
1993
|
| Issued: | Jan 01, 1993 |
| Project Team: | R.E. Redmann |
Objective(s): To assess the impact of a high-density muskoxen population on sedge meadow plant communities and on individual tillers in these communities by using temporary and permanent exclosures to quantify vegetation responses to grazing; to determine the influence of herbage removal on the above-ground productivity and below-ground standing crop of sedge meadow vegetation in plots clipped at different frequencies and plots naturally grazed and those protected from muskoxen; to determine the effects of grazing (natural and artificial) on nutrient quality and chemical content of sedge meadow plants.
Project Description: This study will address the impact that muskoxen are having on sedge meadows (the habitat that is important for their survival in the Thomsen River valley). In this study, I will examine the response of sedge meadow plants to the effects of grazing by muskoxen. I will monitoring the growth and chemical makeup of plants in 3 situations: (1) unprotected plots subject to muskoxen grazing; (2) artificially grazed (clipped) plots; and (3) protected plots (no grazing).
